Up-coming messages

Christmas Eve-

What can a cartoon comic strip teach us about Christmas? Come to our 4:00 or 5:30 service and find out!

Sunday January 27th-

Do you feel a pull with in you to do something great for God? Yet, you also hear a little voice on the inside that says, " You are not smart enough. You are not educated enough. You are not old enough." If so, this message is for you. In it I am talking about the kind of person that God uses.

What Is your Herod?

This Sunday I am talking about the subject: What is your Herod?

"Herod" is a metaphor for Sin. And we all face temptations to sin. "Sin is meeting a legitimate need in a illegitimate way."

This weekend I am going to talk about the 5 categories of sin and offer some practical ideas from the bible to find victory in those areas.

See you Sunday!

The Two Levels of Living

“They went to the upstairs room of the house”, says Acts 1:13.

The Lord has been speaking to me about the two levels of living. Like a house that has two levels*, there are two levels of life. The bottom level is the natural level. It is like the book of proverbs, giving us advice to work hard, save, and be wise.

The “Up stairs” level is the supernatural level. Like the book of Acts, it advises us to pray, fast, tithe, and do things that don’t always make sense on a natural level.

I believe that success in life comes from not going to either extreme and becoming on one hand a “Pious irresponsible” person or the other hand a “practical humanist”…it is balancing the two.

* Got this from francis Shafer

TRI IT!

Starting January 10th, we are going to move to three Sunday services. The times will be 8:30; 9:30; 11:00. Why?

1. We need more room.

Yesterday in our second service I looked out on the church and there was hardly any open seats. In fact, people where standing. What if someone comes in looking for spiritual health, and we are too full for them? We need to make room for people to meet Jesus.

2. We've always done what it took to reach people for Jesus.

"Steve, are you going to be able to do another service?" People ask me. I appreciate there concern. But my answer is the same: I will do whatever it takes to reach people for Christ. That has been our attitude from day one.

We used to start setting up the church at the Byron Legion at 6:00 in the morning. We would take about four loads of equipment in my green escort. And then we would clean up the place. We would move kegs of beer. We would spray cans of Lysol. We would move chairs. By the time the service started at 10:00 we had already worked for four hours. Why? People at CCC have always been willing to pay the price to reach people for Christ. Our current generation of leaders are no different.

What an exciting time at CCC!

A New Score Board

On Sunday we had a record high attendance. We have had higher attendance on holiday events like Christmas, etc. But this was the highest attendance we have had on a non holiday day.

You say, "You must have been really excited." And my answer is "yes, and no". Yes in the sense that I am so glad that our church is growing. However, attendance is not my scoreboard any more. It used to be. I used to feel like we won or lost based on our attendance. Now, I have a new score card. And here it is: did you do your best and let God do the rest?

I believe that if I and our church do our best, we are winner no matter what the attendance is.

Youth Convention

On Thursday and Friday I went to the youth convention with youth from our church. It was a special event. The highlights where seeing kids connect with others kids. Kids who where on the fringes of the youth group feel like they really belonged. It was also inspiring to see the kids praising God and praying for one another. God is doing a great thing in our youth group and I feel honored to be a part of it.

Service is Joy?

A great sage once said, " I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold service was Joy."

That quote really spoke to me because it is when we out ourselves aside and serve others that we find true joy. Have you found the joy that comes from serving? Or are you as one person said, " Stuffed with self"?

Talented Teenagers

I have been reading a book called Talented Teenagers. It has really blessed me. One of the core concepts it teaches is that everyone is talented. We are all just talented in different ways. Look for the talents in your kids. They might be different from yours. They might be different from what you would want them to be. But discover their talent and then seek to help them make a commitment to develop their talent for the good of others.

Why do kids develop a talent? The number one reason is because they enjoy it. They will develop something they enjoy.

As a parent the book talks about offering our kids "support" and "challenge" in developing their talents.

The University of Okoboji

On my vacation, I felt like the Spirit of God had impressed upon me a few lessons:

1. Where do you get your identity from? Cars, career, circumstances or Christ?

2. Where do you go for comfort? Food. The Bottle. The bible calls the Holy Spirit the "comforter".

3. Prayer is talking to God; meditation is God talking to us. We speak to God in words; he speaks in silence. Silence is "wordless prayer".

Pray about it!

Communication is the most important skill in life!

In the 8Th Habit, Steven Covey wrties, “…Over 90 percent of all communication problems are caused by differences in either semantics or perceptions. Again, semantics means the way you define words or terms. Perceptions means how your interpret data”.

Help me to Understand....

The next time someone complains to you or criticizes you, don't get defensive. Instead, say, " Help me to understand..." It works wonders. Give it a try.

FAILURE

I spoke on hope in failure this past weekend. God seemed to really touch people through the message. If you weren't there Sunday, I would encourage you to get the tape. I found a great quote on failure that I Hope will bless you:

Failure does not mean I'm a failure;It does mean I have not yet succeeded.
Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;It does mean I have learned something.
Failure does not mean I have been a fool;It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.
Failure does not mean I have disgraced;It does mean I have dared to try.
Failure does not mean I don't have it;It does mean I have something to do in a different way.
Failure does not mean I am inferior;It does mean I am not perfect.
Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;It does mean that I have an excuse to start over. Failure does not mean that I should give up;It does mean that I should try harder.
Failure does not mean that I will never make it;It does mean that I need more practice.
Failure does not mean that you have abandoned me;It does mean that you must have a better idea!

BOUNDARY ISSUES

I am reading a book called Practicing Greatness by Reggie McNeil. In it, he said that we can learn to respond to others in four unhealthy ways. Look Through them and become aware of what your tendency is and ask God to help you respond in healthier ways.

Compliant
Don’t want to hurt others feelings
Hard time saying, “No”
Need to always feel available
Avoid ant
They put up huge walls around them to let know one in
Keep other people out is their motto.
Keep people at a distance
Controllers
Tell others how to think or feel
Use guilt or manipulation to get there way
Need to feel in control of everything
Non responsive
Are unmoved by others hurts
Walled them self up so they are not drawn to alleviate others suffering
Ministry roles don’t usually attract these people

FOUR KEYS TASKS OF LEADERSHIP

I read about the four keys tasks of leadership the other day:

1. A leader accomplishes goals

2. A leader provides innovation.

3. Leader involves people in the mission.

4. A leader works to keep team morale high.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Recently I have been devouring Christian biographies. I have read one on Oswald Chambers, A.W Tozier, David Brainerd, Hudson Taylor, and Jonathon Edwards. I am currently reading one on Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a pastor in the 19th century.

In one of his sermons he talked about the THREE F's:

1. Fret not (Don't worry. Ins tead, worship_

2. Faint not (Don't quit).

3. Fear not

Good advice, isn't it!

EASTER INVITATION

Dear Friends,

I am so excited about Sunday’s worship gathering. We are going to be doing something called a “Silent Parade”. People will be communicating through a sign, how God has changed their lives. You won’t want to miss it.

I’ve written my message with a certain type of person in my mind. He has a good life, yet he feels empty. He has looked for satisfaction in all the wrong places. He has tried the wrong medication to remedy his soul. Please pray for him and hundreds of others who will hear the message this week.

If you haven’t yet invited someone to come this weekend please do. Like the movie, Field of dreams, “If you invite them, they will come.” Most people love to be invited. I look forward to seeing you and meeting your family and friends on Sunday as we celebrate Easter together.

Warmly,

Steve

P.S- Our post-Easter message, Hope for Hard Times, has an inspiring message that will also help a lot of people. Please think who you can invite today!

St. Patricks breastplate

Today is St. Patrick's day. When many people think of him they think of beer and green shamrocks. St. Patrick was a great man of God. "God used him to Baptize tens of thousands of people. Plant over 700 churches, and ordain more then 1000 priests. With in his lifetime God used him and his team to convert 30 to 40 of the more then 150 tribes of Ireland", says George Hunter in The Celtic way of Evangelism.

Ponder this prayer of his:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,Christ behind me, Christ before me,Christ beside me, Christ to win me,Christ to comfort and restore me,Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,Christ in hearts of all that love me,Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name,The strong name of the Trinity;By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,Of whom all nature hath creation,Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:Praise to the Lord of my salvation,salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Core Values

THE 7 CORE VALUES OF
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION CHURCH
-------------------------
1. REAL
We believe that people should come as they are. God made them to be an original, not a carbon copy. One of the greatest mistakes they can make is to repress their God-given uniqueness in a vain attempt to appear more spiritual. Therefore, we are committed to helping them discover their uniqueness, celebrate it, and use it for God’s glory. “Love from the center of who you are…don’t fake it” (Romans 12:9, Message)

2. RELEVANT
We believe that one of the main purposes of the bible is to teach people how to live. Its message is about everyday spirituality, not outdated religion. Therefore, we are committed to making the message of the Bible understandable and applicable to people’s everyday life. “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness,” said Jesus (John 10:10).

Furthermore, since today’s world is rapidly changing, forms and methods must be continually evaluated and, if necessary, altered to fit new conditions. The message is sacred not the methods. “Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them” (Proverbs 18:15)

3. RELATIONAL
We believe that the church is a loving and accepting family, a place where you can know and be known, love and be loved, care and be cared for. Therefore, in our small groups and weekend services, we are committed to making new people feel welcome, loving your neighbor as yourself, and avoiding destructive behavior like gossip or slander! “Love your neighbor as yourself,” said Jesus (Matthew 22:39)

4. REACHING
We believe that the church is the hope of the world. We are not called to be an exclusive elite. We are called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to our world. We are here to introduce people to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The bible says, “Christ Changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also” (2 Cor 5: 18, TEV).

5. REFRESHING
We believe that the message of the Bible is good news. Therefore, we will have services and events that are more like a feast, then a funeral. “I rejoiced with those who said to me,” Let us go to the house of the LORD” (Psalms 122:1).

6. RESPECTFUL
We believe that the goal of the church is unity in purpose and principle, not uniformity in personality and preferences! Therefore when differences arrive, we will handle them in a respectful, Christ-honoring way. “In essential thing, we have unity; in non-essential things, we have liberty; in all things, we show charity.”

7. RELEASING
We believe that the call to ministry is not restricted to professional clergy. Every Christian is called to serve God with gladness. The role of the clergy is to equip and empower the laity; the role of the laity is to serve and build the church family. “ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be…pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” Eph 4:11-12).

The School of Ministry

Last Tuesday I spoke at the School of ministry. It is a school for people who are interviewing to be credentialed in our denomination. As I spoke, I reflected back on when I was in their shoes. Twelve years ago, I was in their shoes. I was wide eyed with the dream of being a pastor. I looked forward to serving the Lord in a local church. And as I reflect upon the past twelve years, I came to this conclusions, " The years teach."

In other words, experience is a great teacher. I have learned a lot by just pastoring. I still have a lot to learn. But I am grateful for the lessons the lord has taught me through the ministry of the local church.

I came across something once called the "rules of life":

1. You will learn lessons.
2. There are no mistakes only lessons.
3. A lesson is repeated until we learn it.
4. If you don’t learn it the easy way it gets harder.
5. You know you have learned the lesson when your actions change.

A Definition of ManHood

At our Men's fraternity this morning, Robert Lewis spelled out a compelling definition of man hood. He said that a manhood involves:

- Resisting passivity

-Accepts responsibility

-Leads courageously

-Looks forward to the greater reward, God's reward!

MAY BERRY

Last night Dalton and I watched The Andy Griffin Show. We laughed uproariously. I enjoy that show for many reasons. However, I enjoy the "slowness" if it. Back in May berry, people were not in such a hurry as they are today. I think we could learn a lot from Barnie, Andy, Ope, and Aunt May.

The Four Essential Phrases!

One word: "Please"
Two words: "Thank you."
Three words: "I love you"
Four words: " How may I help"

STREAKY!

A pastor asked a young boy this question, " If all the good people in the world where red and all the bad people green, what color would you be?"

The boy though for a moment. He replied, " Pastor, I'd be streaky."

I like that story. It reminds me that of a reality about me: I have and a "spirit" and "flesh". The spirit is the "good"; the flesh is the "bad". Which part of you are you feeding? Which part is winning in your life?

Spirituality is lot like health!

I found an interesting quote last night:

Spirituality is lot like health. We all have health; we may have good health or poor health, but it is something we can't avoid having. The same is true of spirituality: every human being is a spiritual being. The question is not whether we "have spirituality" but whether the spirituality we have is a negative one that leads to isolation and self-destruction or one that is more positive and life giving!

Questions are the answer!

The quality of your life is often dictated by the quality of questions you ask yourself. Here are a few good questions to reflect on from time to time:

How is it going?
What am I learning?
What are my goals?
How can I help others?